RE: Spaces after full stop

["Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>]

Dossy,

You seem to imply that removing the extra space is a defect of word
processing, but you fail to consider the fact that the addition of the extra
space in early typesetting was to correct the defect of lost punctuation*
because of how typesetters set type.  

I think that a better argument for the extra space could be made if
pre-typesetting, handwritten script used extra space between sentences, but
examples of handwritten documents before typesetting, like the
Constitution**, do not show extra space.  The fact that an extra space
became necessary with typesetting is irrelevant when considered with script,
so the rule of one space is correct, although I still use two.

The example, "I went to the Dr. His name is Bob," does not really help the
argument about using extra space between sentences because a proper sentence
would contain an abbreviation of "doctor" as "Dr." when "Dr." is not used as
a title for a person.  Asking that we ignore the improper use of a title in
the example does not help the argument because the error of why titles
should not be used becomes entangled with the argument of why spaces should
be used and creates confusion about why a convention is better than another.


Titles that precede names must not have an extra space or any extra
punctuation between the title and the name.  As far as I know, the British
standard is to not punctuate the title.  Titles are not used as stand-alone
words.  If the title example was provided as an example of problems with an
abbreviation at the end of a sentence, then we should discuss proper
abbreviations.  Proper abbreviations at the ends of sentences are no more
confusing with or without extra space.

Lauren

* Near as I can recall, since I haven't read the typesetting rules in 16
years, the rules of extra space were to account for the fragileness of
punctuation with tails.  Primarily, the purpose of the extra space was to
distinguish periods and colons from commas and semi-colons, since tails of
commas and semi-colons were fragile and would get lost, so the punctuation
was easily confused.  That problem no longer exists.

** The Constitution and other handwritten documents,
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/charters_downl
oads.html.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On 
> Behalf Of Dossy Shiobara
> Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 11:04 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Spaces after full stop
> 
> I keep seeing two things mentioned in responses:
> 
> 1) There's a reason to use two spaces after 
> periods--embedding semantic
>    information (i.e., end of sentence) in the data (the copy text).
> 
> 2) Since the introduction of computerized word processing, 
> deficiencies
>    in implementations of word processors and layout engines 
> have caused
>    people to stop using two spaces after periods that end sentences.
> 
> IMHO, #2 is a defect and needs to be corrected.  Software should be
> fixed so that end of sentence periods--those followed by a newline, or
> two spaces--are laid out properly.  Using only one space 
> loses valuable
> semantic information.
> 
> How is it valuable?  While a human may be able to infer where 
> a sentence
> ends, it's a much harder task for a computer.  Take this sentence, for
> example:
> 
>     "I went to the Dr. His name is Bob."
> 
> One sentence?  Or two?  I'm pretty sure most humans can tell it's
> supposed to be two.  (Ignore arguments that "Dr." shouldn't have been
> abbreviated there, and instead spelled out as "doctor".)
> 
> However, think about the task for a computer: is this actually two
> sentences, where the recommendation "expand 'Dr.' to 
> 'doctor'" should be
> made, or is it one single grammatically incorrect sentence?  If there
> were two spaces following "Dr.", the added semantic 
> information encoded
> in the data would disambiguate the sentence in a way that the software
> could handle very easily.
> 
> In the end, I still use two spaces after end of sentence 
> periods within
> paragraphs because I find them more aesthetically pleasing that way.
> It's just a pity that a deficiency in the more common word processors
> have driven others to abandon the practice.  :-(
> 
> -- Dossy
> 
> -- 
> Dossy Shiobara              | dossy -at- panoptic -dot- com | http://dossy.org/
> Panoptic Computer Network   | http://panoptic.com/
>   "He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
>     folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.